Energy-angle distributions of low-energy inert-gas ions scattered from surfaces provide information about surface composition and structure. We have measured energy spectra of He+ scattered from an Al71Pd20Mn9 quasicrystal, which was oriented perpendicular to the 5-fold axis, along various azimuthal directions. Strong scattering signals are seen from Al and Pd, but only a weak Mn signal is observed. From measurements made of He+ at an oblique angle of incidence scattered in the forward direction, we observe a 72° periodicity in the azimuthal dependence of the scattering signal intensity from Al surface atoms. The effect arises from shadowing effects involving neighboring surface atoms and provides direct evidence that Al surface atoms exist in a local environment with 5-fold symmetry. In addition, measuring the variation of the signal intensity with incidence angle provides information about neighboring atom distances, which compare favorably with a model of the quasicrystal surface derived from the bulk structure.

We investigated the suitability of powder metallurgy as well as die casting for the fabrication of light-weight Al-based composites with quasicrystalline particles embedded in an aluminum matrix. Al-Mn-Ce and Al-Cu-Fe quasicrystalline powders were synthesized by milling of elemental powder mixtures or arc-melted prealloys using a planetary ball mill. The mixture of the quasicrystalline phase and the Al-matrix phase with an appropriate ratio was realized by an initial aluminum excess or by blending of quasicrystalline powder with pure aluminum. The powders were consolidated by hot extrusion. Bulk samples of Ø3mm diameter and 50mm length were also directly prepared by squeezing the melt into a copper mold. CCRT-compression tests revealed a yield strength of about 400 MPa, an ultimate strength of 565 MPa and a ductility of up to 19 % fracture strain as optimum mechanical properties.

Certain ductility may occur during friction tests on quasicrystalline materials that are intrinsically brittle. This is, at least in part, due to a solid-state phase transition from the icosahedral to a BCC phase. The present paper first summarizes phase transition features of quasicrystals and then examines the microstructural mechanism of scratch indentation on an icosahedral Al-Cu-Fe sample. The last part of this paper is devoted to a discussion of the correlation of this phase with respect to quasicrystals.

Problems concerning complete structural characterization of quasicrystals involve locating the atomic positions as well as determining the distribution of elements at each site. Quasicrystalline approximants provide models for potential building units of quasicrystals, but a clear determination of the elementaldecorations in such approximants also remains incomplete. We report experimental and theoretical studies of new, quaternary Bergman phases in the Li-Mg-Zn-Al system and a new, quasicrystalline approximant Li10Mg6Zn31Al3 (A16M34-type). A theoretical model using averaged Mulliken populations provides a means to track the segregation of elements (and vacancies) onto different sites as a function of valence electron concentration. As the Li content decreases, vacancies begin to occur at a specific site in the Bergman structure. The new approximant demonstrates how truncated tetrahedra can play an important role in forming clusters with possible fivefold symmetry in quasicrystalline structures.

Icosahedral AlCuFe poly-quasicrystalline specimens were deformed in constant strain rate compression tests at temperatures ranging between 300K - 1020K. Below nearly 0.7 Tm (Tm is the melting temperature) the specimens were brittle. Above the brittle-to-ductile transition temperature, after the elastic stage the stress-strain curves exhibit a marked yield-point followed by a stage of strain softening only. Transient creep tests were performed at different given stress/strain levels after interrupting the constant strain-rate deformation tests. After the transient tests, the flow strength of the specimens was investigated anew at constant strain rate. The results are interpreted in the framework of a dislocation model, where two effects opposing dislocation movement are considered: firstly, the usual elastic dislocation interaction, yielding a work-hardening contribution, and, secondly, a friction stress specific to the quasiperiodic lattice, leading to a softening effect.

Anomalous structural evolution was induced in the equilibrium immiscible Co-Cu and Fe-Cu systems by 100 or 200 keV xenon ion irradiation at 77 K or room temperature. In the Co15Cu85 and Fe70Cu30 multilayered films, nanosized quasicrystals were formed in an amorphous matrix, through a two-step transition of crystal-to-amorphous-to-quasicrystal. The obtained quasicrystals are Co-Cu dodecagonal and Fe-Cu icosahedral phases with twelve-fold and five-fold rotational symmetries, respectively. The real compositions of the amorphous matrix were determined to be close to Co10Cu90 and Fe70Cu30, while those for quasicrystals are nearly Co20Cu80 and Fe50Cu50, respectively. Moreover, the same dodecagonal and icosahedral phases were also obtained in the specifically designed Co50Cu50 and Fe50Cu50 multilayered samples upon thermal annealing at 500°C and 850°C, respectively, confirming the existence of these new metastable states in the respective systems. Besides, our molecular dynamics study showed that either Co or Fe could be mixed with Cu at an atomic scale in forming some metastable alloy phases. The amorphous-to-quasicrystal transition was discussed in terms of the similarity in the atomic configuration between the quasicrystal and amorphous short-range orders.

Stable icosahedral quasicrystals have been found in ternary Cd65Mg20RE15 (RE=Y, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Lu, Yb and Ca) and binary Cd85Ca15 and Cd84Yb16 alloys. These icosahedral quasicrystals have a primitive quasilattice. Their quasilattice parameters range from 0.5571 to 0.5731 nm. Formation mechanism of the quasicrystals is discussed.

The stability of the Mg-Zn-Y icosahedral quasicrystal (IQC) has been studied by long-term annealing of a single grain IQC in quartz tubes. Decomposition of the IQC was observed after annealing at high temperatures (T≥773 K) sealed in Ar. During the decomposition process, the quasilattice parameter aR was found to decrease, associated with a decrease in Mg content of the IQC phase as confirmed by quantitative x-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy analyses. In addition, a new cubic approximant has been found in the annealed samples. This cubic approximant has a face-centered cubic (fcc) structure with lattice parameter of a = 1.276 nm, which is about (1/τ) times smaller than that of the fcc W'-(MgZnY) with a = 2.05 nm reported previously (where τ is the golden ratio).

The relationship between approximant structures and quasicrystals is discussed on the example of quantitatively known decagonal quasicrystal and approximant structures in the thoroughly studied system Al-Co-Ni. The binary Al-Co as well as the ternary Al-Co-Ni approximants consist of the same basic pentagonal bipyramidal structure elements as the decagonal phase. The binary Al-Ni approximants, on the other hand, are vacancy ordered superstructures of the AlNi §-phase, which itself is related to the periodic average structure of decagonal Al-Co-Ni. Thus, the decagonal phase may be considered as a compromise between the competing driving forces to form pentagonal structural units on the one side and vacancy ordered superstructures of the AlNi §-phase on the other side. The broad stability range of decagonal Al-Co-Ni can be interpreted in terms of entropy gain by Co/Ni substitutional disorder and phasonic disorder of a part of the Al atoms.

The structure of periodic phases, in the Al-Pd-Mn system, showing the importance of chemical ordering is reviewed as well as their description in term of pentagonal chains of transition metals. These features are discussed in relation with structural models for AlPdMn decagonal quasicrystals.

A twodimensional binary model quasicrystal (Roth-Mikulla tiling) was subjected to shear of constant rate (Lees-Edwards boundary conditions). Lennard-Jones forces were applied between the atoms and the evolution of the system was followed by isothermal molecular dynamics simulations. Temperature was controlled by a Nosé-Hoover thermostat. Dislocation dipoles were created followed by phason walls, which broadened with increasing shear. Widening happens by transversal shear induced diffusion. It starts with the onset of failure and is saturating after reaching two planes of high interface energy parallel to the glide plane. Thus a structurally damaged layer arises along which viscous glide is developing. The transverse diffusion constant follows an Arrhenius law at low temperature. With increasing temperature it is bending to a flatter slope similar as in the model of phason induced diffusion by Kalugin and Katz. First results of temperature-dependent crack-propagation are reported, too.

New information on the phase diagrams of Ti-Fe-Si-O and Ti-Zr-Ni alloys near the quasicrystal and rational approximant compositions is presented. α(TiFeSiO), the 1/1 rational approximant, is shown to form in a peritectic mode from the liquid, indicating the possibility to produce single-crystal samples. Very long duration annealing studies demonstrate unambiguously that the TiZrNi i-phase and 1/1 approximant form at low temperatures by a solid-state transformation; their phase fields do not extend to the liquidus temperatures. The first undercooling measurements of electrostatically-levitated droplets of the Ti-Zr-Ni alloys are presented. These nucleation studies provide new information on the structural relations between polytetrahedral phases and the undercooled liquid, and on the phase transformation processes. The reduced undercooling for the polytetrahedral phases in these alloys is less than for crystal phases of a similar composition, demonstrating a low interfacial energy between the polytetrahedral phase and the liquid.

Using powder X-ray diffraction, we have studied the transformation of an atomized powder of nominal composition Al62Cu25.5Fe12.5 upon annealing at 500°C in air or in vacuum. The initial mixture of icosahedral and B2 cubic phases transforms within 2 hours into a nearly pure icosahedral compound. We observe however that a small amount of residual cubic phase is still present after annealings as long as 65 hours. Furthermore, the initial cubic phase splits in two components, a CsCl-type and a disordered bcc cubic phase. By comparison of the heat treatments in air and in vacuum, we point out that oxygen atoms diffuse into the icosahedral lattice.

The influence of substitutional chemical disorder, magenetic field and phasons, on the electronic spectrum and wave functions of icosahedral quasicrystals is investigated by means of tight-biding approximation and level statistic method. The results show that the localization of electronic states in an ideal quasictystal exists due to their coherent interfernce at the Fremi level which is caused by the symmetry and aperiodic long-range order.

Localized moments are observed on a small fraction of the Mn atoms in Al-Pd-Mn and Al-Mn quasicrystals while a large proportion of magnetic moments is found in liquids in equilibrium with these quasicrystalline phases. As magnetic sites cannot be identified in quasicrystals because of the very small number of Mn atoms involved, we have studied the case of approximant phases in both Al-Mn and Al-Pd-Mn systems. Most of the approximants are non- magnetic but magnetic moments are present on a fraction of the Mn sites in the μ-Al4Mn phase and in the Mn-rich TAlPdMn phase. From both experimental and theoretical investigations, the magnetic sites are identified in these phases. The moment formation can be explained by analysing the local environment of the Mn atoms and indirect Mn-Mn interactions mediated by conduction electrons on relatively large distances. A clear picture of the origin of magnetism in quasicrysals, approximants and liquids in the Al-Mn and Al-Pd-Mn systems can therefore be obtained.

The models of decagonal Al72Ni20Co8 quasicrystal with the space group of P105/mmc were refined on the basis of single crystal x-ray diffraction data set using the 5D description. The results of a structure model derived from Al13Fe4-type approximant crystal and Burkov model are compared. The former gives ω R=0.045 and R=0.063 for 449 reflections with 103 parameters and a resonable chemical composition of Al71.2TM28.8 (TM=transition metals). The projected structure in consistent with high resolution images of this material. On the other hand, the latter gives ωR=0.161 and R=0.193 for 55 parameters and a compositon of Al64.6TM35.1.

We have succeeded for the first time in inducing epitaxial growth of metal films on quasiperiodic surfaces. Depositions of Au onto the tenfold surface of a decagonal Al-Ni-Co quasicrystal were originally attempted to create a quasicrystal of a single element as an epitaxial film. Although the desired film was not obtained on the clean surface, a multiply twinned AuAl2 crystalline layer with a (110)-oriented surface was formed with the aid of an In pre-deposition layer. The presence of pre-deposited In also worked as a surfactant for the case of Au-deposition onto the fivefold surface of an icosahedral Al-Pd-Mn quasicrystal and promoted the formation of an ordered film of Au-Al alloy. X-ray photoelectron diffraction images from this ordered film show that the alloy has an icosahedral structure as a long-range order, suggesting the formation of a quasicrystalline film.

We present a molecular dynamics simulation investigating the crystallization pattern of a simple monatomic liquid model which utilize an interatomic interaction potential. The shape of the potential imitates effective interionic interaction in metallic systems. The potentials is constructed to favour icosahedral arrangement in the first coordination shell. We observe that, the system forms a thermodynamically stable solid phase exhibiting cubic symmetry. Its diffraction pattern can be identified as that of γ-brass phase, a terahedrally packed crystalline structure with 52 atoms in the unit cell. We conclude that the monatomic version of γ-brass structure generated in this simultion can be regarded as a new archetype for the γ-base structures observed in many intemetllic compounds.

The ten-fold surface of the decagonal Al72Ni11Co17 (d-Al-Ni-Co) quasicrystal has been investigated using low energy electron diffraction (LEED), spot profile analysis LEED (SPA- LEED), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM). This was done as a function of both annealing temperature and annealing time. The long-range order of the surface, as indicated by LEED, increases both as a function of annealing time and temperature. STM shows the surface to be rough and cluster-like at low annealing temperatures (≤725 K), whilst annealing to temperatures in excess of 725 K results in the formation of terraces. These terraces are small (≤ 100 Å width) at lower annealing temperatures and increase in size (100 Å ≤ x ≤ 500 Å) as the annealing temperature is increased (≥ 850 K). They are characterised by the presence of three-fold protrusions which align preferentially. STM images show single height steps as expected due to the periodicity of d-Al-Ni-Co in the z direction. To date it has not been possible to obtain atomic resolution, although this work is continuing.

We have used thermal desorption spectroscopy to carry out a comparative study of potassium adsorption on Al(111) and on the fivefold Al-Pd-Mn surface. Potassium adsorption on the quasicrystal was found to be different than on Al(111). The potassium monolayer desorbed from fivefold Al-Pd-Mn at lower temperatures than from Al(111). Potassium is known to form a dense monolayer on Al(111), with an ideal coverage of 0.33, but for the monolayer on fivefold Al Pd Mn we find that the saturation coverage is only one twelfth.